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A long time ago, I had asked this question about whether a Battle Master fighter with Extra Attack can do a Commander's Strike after he throws a net. It got answered in the negative (you can't give something you can't take yourself).

However, a very interesting comment sprouted from it:
Can you forgo an attack to use Commander's Strike before throwing a net?

The Extra Attack feature states:

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

The description of the net's special weapon property states:

When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can make only one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

The Battle Master fighter's Commander Strike maneuver (PHB, p. 74) says:

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike.

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Yes you can, because Commander's Strike does not count as "making an attack"

In the Q/A "How do nets work with Extra Attack?", it was ruled that you cannot attack first with a normal weapon and then with a net, because attacking with a net (or planning to do so) locks you into only being allowed to make one attack with that Attack action.

Similarly, in your other question about whether you could use Commander's Strike after attacking with a net, it was ruled that you cannot, because once you attack with a net, you no longer have other attacks that you can make, and thus there are no attacks which you can forgo.

However, in this case, you are starting by activating the Commander's Strike maneuver which states:

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo one of your attacks and use a bonus action to direct one of your companions to strike.

This does not actually require you to make an attack of any kind. The clause from the net weapon's special property only puts a limit on the number of attacks you can actually make:

you can make only one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Because you do not make any sort of attack when using Commander's Strike, the net's restriction does not apply - so yes, you can use Commander's Strike for your first attack and then a net for your second.

Notably if you got the Extra Attack features which allow you to make three and four attacks per Attack action, then using the net would stop you after your second attack (which is with the net).

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    \$\begingroup\$ This is pretty much how I interpret it too, +1. Forgoing an attack you could make doesn't count as actually making the attack. \$\endgroup\$
    – John Clifford
    Commented Aug 15, 2019 at 18:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Medix2 Not unless you have something that lets you take more than 1 bonus action on your turn. \$\endgroup\$
    – John Clifford
    Commented Aug 15, 2019 at 18:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ But it consumes a bonus action as well, which you only have a single one of ! So, in practice, nnnahh \$\endgroup\$
    – Gael L
    Commented Aug 15, 2019 at 18:50
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Medix2 I generally find that rules can be interpreted as self-contained units; they don't "remember" things that happened before unless they specifically say that. One use of Commander's Strike wouldn't know you already used it previously unless it specifically stated you could only use it once per turn (but again there would need to be something that granted extra bonus actions for you to be able to do so) \$\endgroup\$
    – John Clifford
    Commented Aug 15, 2019 at 18:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ @fabian what do you mean. You do not announce a sequence of attacks. Theoretically you inform your GM of an intended attack, then you make the attack but in this case you are not making your first attack at all \$\endgroup\$
    – Exempt-Medic
    Commented Aug 15, 2019 at 22:44

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